Qualifying result is Brown’s 51st career No. 1 qualifier
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 8, 2025) – In a rain-shortened qualifying for the 2025 NHRA Gatornationals, Antron Brown claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot as he begins his defense of the NHRA Top Fuel title. The four-time world champion posted a blistering 3.685 elapsed time during the Friday night qualifying session, and with the rainout on Saturday, it confirmed him as the No. 1 seed for Sunday.
Brown’s Toyota teammates, Shawn Langdon (third), Doug Kalitta (fourth) and Steve Torrence (fifth) joined him inside the top half of the Top Fuel ladder for tomorrow’s eliminations. Justin Ashley (14th) will face Langdon in Round One tomorrow. Due to the inclement weather, the Top Fuel All-Star Callout has been postponed.
In Funny Car, Ron Capps led the GR Supra Funny Car contingent, earning the No. 3 seed for tomorrow’s eliminations. Like Brown, Capps laid down a swift time in the Friday night session with a 3.857 elapsed time as he goes for his fifth career Gatornationals win. In his debut with DC Motorsports, Bobby Bode earned the No. 6 seed for tomorrow, where he’ll face his Toyota teammate in Round One, the 11th seed J.R. Todd.
Tomorrow’s eliminations from Gainesville Raceway begin at 9:30 a.m. EST with live TV coverage beginning at 7 p.m. EST on FS1.
Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series
Gainesville Raceway
NHRA Gatornationals
Race 1 of 20
TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Qualifying Position | First Round Opponent |
| Antron Brown | Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 1st | K. Baldwin |
| Shawn Langdon | Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 3rd | J. Ashley |
| Doug Kalitta | Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 4th | I. Zetterstrom |
| Steve Torrence | CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 5th | D. Foley |
| Justin Ashley | SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster | 14th | S. Langdon |
TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS
| Name | Car | Qualifying Position | First Round Opponent |
| Jack Beckman* | Peak Chevrolet Funny Car | 1st* | B. Alexander |
| Ron Capps | Carlyle Tools Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | 3rd | J. Smith |
| Bobby Bode | DC Motorsports Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | 6th | J. Todd |
| J.R. Todd | DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car | 11th | B. Bode |
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
ANTRON BROWN, Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, AB Motorsports
TF Qualifying Result: 1st
How does it feel getting the first No. 1 qualifier of the season?
“Yeah, so that’s something we’ve been shooting for, for a while – to be a No. 1 qualifier. We used to do it quite often, but the competition got so steep and tough where we qualified the way we race. And now, we’ve picked up the pace and picked up the tone. We went out to the PRO Shootout this year and felt really good to be the No. 1 qualifier there and run a low 3.60 and then a low-to-mid 3.60 (in the race). And then to come out here, and have the same pace, and be the No. 1 qualifier is where we need to be. A bummer we weren’t able to do the All-Star Callout (today). We feel bad for the fans, but you can’t control Mother Nature. With that being said, we’ll get ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow is our first race day and it starts at 9:30 a.m. EST, so we’ll be up fresh and early in the morning so we can get ready to get after it. I’m really pumped to start the season off as we had a good offseason. My mind’s really right, the team’s right. Everybody’s right and we’re ready to go out here and see what we can do.”
RON CAPPS, Carlyle Tools Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports
FC Qualifying Result: 3rd
What confidence does this qualifying result give you and the team?
“Yeah, part of what makes this NHRA Funny Car division tough is (pause) — unpredictable situations like we have (here). We lose two qualifying runs. Thankfully, Guido (Dean Antonelli, crew chief) had the data that we learned in Bradenton (PRO Superstar Shootout). You know, what’s cool in looking down the pit area, is our Toyota GR Supra in the Carlyle Tools green color. The fans, they weren’t sure what to take with me in a green car (laughs). It’s been fun, the fans are loving it and we’re having a great time. But this is the reason why I love Guido; I love our team. We’re adapting. We had a night run, which was last minute. We got down to No. 3. Going to wake up Sunday morning, after daylight’s savings, and have a really early start in another unpredictable situation where we don’t know what the temperatures will be. So, that’s what I love about Guido and having him as our crew chief.”
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